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BAR’s sneaky cigarettes (1999)
BAR was a race team owned by British American Tobacco, and in the era before cigarette advertising was banned the firm had a cunning idea for maximum publicity. When it unveiled its 1999 debut car, the BAR 01, the steeds of Jacques Villeneuve and Riccardo Zonta were clad in different liveries – one advertising the red and white of Lucky Strike, and one in the blue and yellow of 555. Clever. But the FIA was unimpressed, pointing out the rule that both cars in a team should look the same. BAR backed down and created a new livery that hybridised the two brands into one. The team boasted that the BAR 01 would win a race in its first season. It won no points at all.
